Bezaleel

Bezaleel (meaning: in the shadow of God, i.e., under his protection) was the chief craftsman appointed by God to execute the artistic work of the tabernacle in the wilderness. He was the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. God declared that he had filled Bezaleel with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, in carving wood, and in every craft.

Bezaleel worked alongside Oholiab of the tribe of Dan and taught others to join in the skilled labor of tabernacle construction. Together they were responsible for the ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, the lampstand, the incense altar, the courtyard furnishings, and the priestly garments—virtually every element of the sanctuary. Bezaleel represents in Scripture the principle that artistic skill and craftsmanship, when exercised in service of divine worship, is itself a manifestation of the Spirit's gifting. A second Bezaleel appears in Ezra 10:30 as one of the Israelites who had taken a foreign wife during the exile period.